MPR recommends anticorruption commission
M. Taufiqurrahman and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) rejected on Wednesday a proposal that would recommend the government to establish an independent committee to oversee business activities of the family of a president.
A lawmaker denied, however, allegations that the Assembly paid a little to the fight against corruption as it would suggest the government to immediately set up an independent anticorruption commission as mandated by the law.
The recommendation will be among a number of MPR inputs to be offered to the President at the end of its annual session on Thursday.
"This anticorruption commission must be set up and come into force. It will not only concentrate on the businesses involving the family of President Megawati Soekarnoputri, but that of all state officials," chairman of Commision C deliberating the Assembly's internal ruling and recommendations to state institutions, Barlianta Harahap, said on Wednesday.
The Reform faction, which is dominated by members of Assembly speaker Amien Rais' National Mandate Party (PAN) has demanded that the MPR ask the President form an independent committee to supervise the business of first family. A number of nongovernmental organizations have also urged the highest lawmaking body to declare a war against corruption, collusion and nepotism.
Deputy chairman of the Reform faction Fuad Bawazier said the committee could probe into alleged violations of fair business committed by the President's family as many said were rampant in the past.
The government has come under criticism for allegedly stalling the process to establish the anticorruption commision. The Law No. 30/2002 on the anticorruption commission says the new body must have started working by Dec. 27, 2003. The government has so far been unable to form the team to select the commission members since the law was passed last November.
Barlianta also revealed that the MPR would not mention at all in the recommendation specific cases of alleged irregularities, including the purchase of Sukhoi war planes, privatization of state-owned telecommunication firm Indosat and the reopening of pulp mill PT Indorayon in North Sumatra.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) insisted on demanding revocation of MPR decree No. 33/1967 that dismissed founding president Sukarno, the father of Megawati. The faction may lose its case should MPR be forced to a vote as other factions rejected the demand.
Legislator Permadi of PDI Perjuangan said that his faction would bring the unsolved issue to a plenary session of the Assembly on Thursday.
"It is true that the people fully respect Sukarno, but legally speaking Sukarno is confined," Permadi told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Permadi, who declared himself Sukarno's mouthpiece, said the decree discharging Sukarno must be repealed in a show of the goodwill to rehabilitate the name of the former president.
If the Assembly rejects the proposal, Permadi said his faction would demand the Assembly to recommend the President restore Sukarno's reputation.
After Wednesday session, Commision A on the establishment of a constitutional commision and Commission B on the review of 139 obsolete decrees enacted by the MPR between 1966 and 2002 managed to complete their jobs and submitted their reports to the MPR.
The Commission C asked for more time to submit their report. The commission's deputy chairman GBPH Joyokusumo told the plenary session the commision needed on more night for lobbying.